Essay

705 Words2 Pages

World War II ended in 1945, but America could not rest. “Serious discussion about reorganization began in Congress and the military department in 1944 and aroused much public interest” (Trask 1997). Because the Air Force played such a large role, discussion of separating the Air Force from the Army Air Forces (AAF) began. A proposal was created to establish one department for the United States Armed Forces, combining all the military branches under one department. “On 19 December 1945, President Truman sent a message to Congress recommending a single department of national defense with three coordinate branches – land, sea, and air.” (Trask 1997). Management of Military and foreign policies were needed during peacetime as they were during wartime. The United States need for a national defense department, and a need to prevent any future attacks like Pearl Harbor, led to President Truman signing the National Security Act of 1947.
The National Security Act of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). President Truman’s vision of the CIA was a peacetime intelligence agency that provided early warnings in the event of an attack. After President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, a loophole was found. The National Security Act “instructed the CIA to correlate, evaluate, and disseminate intelligence and to perform ‘other functions and duties related to intelligence affecting the national security’ ” (Weiner 2007). The CIA used this wording of ‘other functions’ to conduct secret operations overseas and to practice cloak and dagger methods in obtaining intelligence. Since its establishment over sixty years ago, the CIA’s implementation of cloak and dagger intelligence gathering has evolved to developing a componen...

... middle of paper ...

...Establishment may have has a name change to the Department of Defense, however the decision to have a civilian secretary over the United States military is still in effect. America could not rest after World War II, and she still has to remain vigilant today. The offices created by the National Security Act of 1947 are still to this day charged with protecting the United States.

Works Cited
Herring, G., (2008). From Colony to Superpower – U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
Trask, R., & Goldberg, A., (2001). The Department of Defense 1947-1997: Organization and Leaders. Washington, DC: United States. Department of Defense – History.
Trest, W., (1998). Air Force Roles and Missions: A History. Washington, DC: United States. Air Force – History
Weiner, T., (2007). Legacy of Ashes – The History of the CIA. New York, NY: Doubleday

Open Document